India National Cricket Team all-rounder Hardik Pandya didn’t have the kind of outing he would have wanted with the bat and ball in the second T20I against the South Africa National Cricket Team. The second game of the four-match series between the teams took place at ST George’s Park in Gqeberha.
Hardik Pandya found it hard to get going with the bat as South Africa National Cricket Team bowlers bowled tough lines and lengths. The all-rounder couldn’t time the ball as he played one of his slowest knocks in the T20I cricket and couldn’t take his team to the big total.
Hardik Pandya didn’t get the desired support from the other end
Hardik Pandya came to bat at No.6 and didn’t get the desired support from the other end. But it was expected that the all-rounder would take his team to the fighting total as he has done in the past. However, it wasn’t the case, as he batted with a poor strike rate, which became a massive talking point.
Hardik Pandya, in the last two overs, couldn’t score freely. What caught the attention of many was he didn’t let Arshdeep Singh, who hit a six as well, take the strike as well and denied singles as well. He had the confidence to get runs but couldn’t, as the move backfired.
Hardik Pandya’s message to Arshdeep Singh backfires
What caught the attention of many was Hardik Pandya’s comment to Arshdeep Singh which surprised many. After the left-arm pacer took the single on the second ball of the 19th over, the all-rounder was caught saying, ‘Enjoy from the other end now.’
However, his comment backfired even after playing the remaining 10 balls of the innings. He made just six runs in the last 10 balls without just one boundary while being dropped twice in the final over. India added just nine runs to their scoreboard in their final two overs.
India lose the second T20I against South Africa by 3 wickets
India didn’t have a great start with the bat as they lost Sanju Samson for a duck and after that, Abhishek Sharma was back in the hut for four. Things turned even worse for them when they lost skipper Suryakumar Yadav for four.
With the team reeling at 15 for three, Tilak Varma (20) and Axar Patel (27) stitched 30 runs to bring the team back into the game. But South Africa kept chipping in with wickets at regular intervals. Hardik Pandya (39*) batted till the end but couldn’t score freely as India ended with 124/6.
South Africa looked clueless with the bat right from the start as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Reeza Hendricks (24) kept his team in the hunt but Varun Chakravarthy brought his team back into the game.
The mystery spinner picked a fifer to turn the game in India’s favor. However, there was a twist in the tale again as Tristan Stubbs (47*) held the one end while Gerald Coetzee (19*) came out all guns blazing and took the game away from India. The duo added 42 runs together in just 20 balls to take their team home and win the game by three wickets.
Also Read:“You don’t want to get 125 or 140”: Suryakumar Yadav indirectly attacks Hardik Pandya
